Danger Ahead
by Sifychu
Summary: When B'Elanna's method of relieving tension is interrupted, the curious crew member who requests her attention is the last person on Voyager B'Elanna expected to take an interest in her life. Hints towards B'Elanna/Seven


**Danger Ahead**

Cold metal pressed against skin; the sensation of the blade digging into her throat caused a low growl to rise from the captive. Rough, strong hands gripped onto her arms, holding her in place, trying to keep her steady. B'Elanna struggled fiercely against her enemies, the two Kazon laughing in amusement at her attempt to free herself. Their laughter made her blood boil and her stomach writhe with rage as the hybrid woman clenched her arms tightly, ripping them free.

With a victorious roar, the brunette lifted her hands to grab the arm around her neck, pulling the male's body over her shoulder until his back collided with the hard floor. After aiming a deadly kick at the Kazon's arm, he cried in pain and dropped the knife that had previously been against her neck. Smirking, B'Elanna started to stalk the remaining Kazon as his friend moaned in pain on the floor nursing his broken arm.

"What's the matter? Wasn't that funny?" She asked him in a venomous tone as his previous laughter was replaced with a look of pure terror. The man charged forwards in an attempt to conquer his fear of the small half-Klingon standing before him. Lifting his arms he aimed a punch at her face. B'Elanna was quicker than him, diving beneath his outstretched arm, twisting her body to send a powerful roundhouse kick at the Kazon's chest. The force of the blow knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing into the rocky wall with a painful thud.

Sweat trickled down the brunette's face as she finally became aware of the painful sting over various parts of her body where she had previously been beaten. The fight wasn't over and she knew it...after all...she'd designed it that way. Three more Kazon rounded the corner and entered the pit, cracking their knuckles and clenching their fists with rage as they saw their brothers lying unconscious.

"Right on time." B'Elanna welcomed the new opponents with open arms, stepping over the injured Kazon, kicking him in the ribs on her way past. Her action earned her the response she had hoped for, as the new men started on a rampage towards her. The brunette felt the rush of blood through her muscles, the sting of sweat meeting her wounds, the pounding of her heart against her chest and she loved every second of it.

Every time she ran the program, she altered the parameters so that her enemies would be randomized. Some days she would be fighting Kazon, other days Cardassians, Klingons, Hirogen and on rare occasions even Borg. The Borg simulations didn't last very long, not even B'Elanna could stand up against a species who could adapt to her every attack. Since their newest member of the crew had arrived, the hybrid woman had been meaning to remove Borg from the program...she may not have got on with Seven but she didn't want a reason that could cause conflict to arise. They managed conflict just fine without adding fuel to the fire.

It excited her...not knowing who she would be fighting...not knowing what their next moves would be. There was no fun in it if she had it all handed to her on a plate and didn't have to work for the victory.

The feeling of a firm fist colliding with her arm brought her back to the moment; B'Elanna quickly ducked as a second was aimed at her nose. Rolling through one of the Kazon's legs, she turned and slid her foot underneath his, causing him to wobble and lose his stance. Once he was off guard, she jumped onto her feet again, sending three punches to his back. As she rose her fist to initiate the fourth, one of the other Kazon grabbed her arm, trying to snap it in half.

"Seven of Nine to Lieutenant Torres." The familiar sound of the ex-drone's cool tone via communications echoed through the holodeck as B'Elanna fought against the Kazon's grip. Gritting her teeth, the brunette felt the male lift his other arm tightly around her neck, squeezing hard.

"Lieutenant?" Seven questioned as B'Elanna tried to breathe, struggling under the man's choking hold. She clawed at his arm with her free hand, desperately trying to loosen it from around her throat. The other Kazon merely stood watching in amusement as the half-Klingon saw light spots around her vision.

"Please respond." Seven requested curtly expecting to hear from the Chief Engineer. Pulling her arm free, B'Elanna aimed an elbow to the Kazon's side, hearing the comforting sound of his rib cracking. He let out a snarl of pain and loosened her neck. Gasping for air, the brunette spun on her heel, smashing her leg into the man's knees, knocking him onto the floor.

"Lieutenant Torres, comply!"Lifting her fist B'Elanna had to stop herself pummelling the Kazon into a bloody pulp as she heard the former drone's irritated tone.

"So much for 'please respond'." B'Elanna muttered, dropping her arm. "Computer, end program." The system made the alert sound to show it had acknowledged the request as the pit faded from view. She had altered the program to allow herself to receive injuries, but the safeties had not been taken off completely, she had encrypted protocols so that if her life was being threatened the program would shut itself down. Bending her head from one side to the other, she cracked her neck, closing her eyes and trying to loosen her tension.

"Torres here." She stretched her arm slowly, pressing one hand into her shoulder as she waited for Seven to explain what she wanted. B'Elanna wondered if she needed to revisit the program and tweak some of the settings...she was pretty sure almost suffocating was classed as a 'life threatening' situation and yet the computer had made no inclination that it intended to shut the program down.

"I require your assistance in Astrometrics, Lieutenant." Grabbing her uniform jacket and slinging it over her shoulder, B'Elanna exited the holodeck, walking through the practically empty corridors of Voyager. It was late and most of the senior officers were off duty, granted the ship was never sleeping all at the same time, somebody had to keep it running. B'Elanna had been unable to sleep and decided to help her relax she needed to kick somebody's ass. Her shift wasn't due for another four hours, but trying to tell that to Seven would have started a game of twenty questions.

"What's the problem?" She asked over her comm badge as she made her way to the turbo lift. When the blonde didn't bother responding B'Elanna sighed and rolled her eyes, tying her jacket around her waist. She was still too heated from her round in the pit to put her uniform back on and she highly doubted Seven would kick up a fuss because she was only wearing her blue vest...or at least she hoped not.

The doors to Astrometrics slid open as B'Elanna walked through, watching the blonde typing away quickly at her console. The brunette's hands went to her waist, not noticing any kind of immediate issue. After a moment of silence, Seven finally turned from her console to throw a glance at the Engineer as she stood in the doorway, unimpressed. Raising her implant covered eyebrow at the brunette's appearance, the former drone was about to speak when B'Elanna interrupted.

"I was in the holodeck." Stepping forwards she moved to stand beside the blonde, folding her arms.

"I...see." Seven responded, her gaze trailing over the bruises and cuts covering the woman's arms, chest and face. "Are the safety protocols working accordingly?" She asked and the brunette couldn't help but let out an amused breath down her nose. Was that the ex-drone's way of asking if she was alright?

"Yeah, they're fine. So what's up?" Waiting surprisingly patiently, B'Elanna continued to stretch her shoulders, the tension not loosening as much as she would have liked. That last Kazon had really messed her up good. Seven turned her attention back to the console, typing her work as if the brunette wasn't even in the room.

"The Doctor's mobile emitter seems to be malfunctioning." There was a long pause as the hybrid woman glanced around the lab, looking for any sign of the emitter. When Seven didn't hand it to her or implement that she even had it, B'Elanna rose her eyebrows.

"Okay...where is it? I can't fix it if I don't have it." Seven merely shrugged, throwing her a disinterested glance before returning to the console. It was clear something was on the former drone's mind, but B'Elanna wasn't the type to patiently try and work it out of her.

"Look if there's something you want to say just say it. It's not like you to hold back on what you really think." Her words were ignored and B'Elanna had to clench her jaw to stop herself grabbing the blonde and forcing her to pay attention. "Spit it out, Seven." Finally, Seven's fingers halted on the console again and her steely gaze met the brunette's. They stared at each other for a moment, Seven's expression unreadable and B'Elanna's so clearly riddled with confusion and irritation.

"I wish to discuss your actions within the holodeck." The blonde finally responded in a matter-of-fact tone, placing her hands behind her back, staring down the smaller woman. Raising her eyebrows, B'Elanna put one hand on the back of her neck, rubbing the ache that resided there as she took in the request.

"If this is about the safeties I've already spoken to the Captain and she gave me permission as long as-"  
>"According to you, the safety protocols are functioning within normal parameters; discussing them would be irrelevant."<p>

Sighing and rolling her eyes the brunette tried to contain her irritation, wondering what Seven was getting at.

"Then what?" B'Elanna's tone was a little sharper than she intended it to be. Seven swallowed visibly, shifting uncomfortably in her stance.

"I am...curious as to why you divulge in programs which cause you to become damaged." Tilting her head to one side as she looked up at Seven, the brunette dropped her arm from her neck and suddenly felt awkward. It was rare that they ever spoke about anything that wasn't professional. Work-related discussions were relatively easy...but talking about herself to the blonde was surprisingly hard.

"I don't do it for the pain or to hurt myself." The brunette started slowly, wondering how best to explain her reasoning and why Seven was interested in the first place. "I...do it for relief." She saw the blonde frown in thought. "You know...to relieve tension?" Seven's mind was working hard to try and understand and B'Elanna could tell she would need more to go from than that brief explanation.

"To relieve...tension?" Seven repeated and earned a nod from the half-Klingon. "Are you aware of alternate options to achieving this goal? According to my research on relaxation, sonic showers, massages, reading, drinking a warm drink, resting in a comfortable environment and intimate relations are the most common sources of tension relief. Your choice is illogical."

Curving her jaw to one side to hold back an incredibly inappropriate laugh from hearing Seven say 'intimate relations' the brunette brought one hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"That's a really nice list you have there. Unfortunately it doesn't count for each person's preferences. So some people might like to read to relieve tension...I can't see that working for me. Just a little tip between us girls? Intimate relations doesn't work either." She smirked and shook her head, watching Seven shift even more uncomfortably from that comment.

The blonde's face seemed to have gone a shade pinker, but B'Elanna decided against mentioning it, instead just clearing her throat and folding her arms. "Go on then, humour me. Why is my choice illogical, Miss. Efficient?" Seven stood for a moment, unclasping her hands from behind her back as B'Elanna folded her arms.

"Entering combat creates a state of tension within the body. If there is danger ahead, the body must adapt, must defend itself in order to protect itself from damage. Tension is increased. Your desire to lower tension therefore clashes with your method of doing so...it is illogical." B'Elanna folded her lips, her tongue darting out to wet them as she thought about everything Seven was saying.

"You're right." The brunette finally admitted, causing the blonde's eyes to widen. It wasn't often she heard that phrase leave the temper-prone Chief Engineer. "In the moment? Yeah...tension is elevated, your muscles clench, your heart tightens in your chest, your breathing gets heavier...but at the end of it...it feels so...satisfying. To stand victorious against your opponents. The bruises and cuts are a symbol of how hard you worked...a symbol of what you achieved and the moment the danger is gone? That's when the relief kicks in. It's not something I can just explain...it's very physical, you have to _feel_ it." It was clear from the way B'Elanna became animated as she spoke about her battles in the pit that she had a lot of passion for it.

Seven was so intrigued by it all. Her focus was usually on efficiency, logical actions, delving inside the mind...not physicality. She hardly explored any sense of physical activity, whether it be a hug between friends or a punch between enemies. It was a side of humanity she so desperately longed to delve into; there were many feelings she wanted to explore. Dancing with someone, swimming, racing across the streets with the wind hitting her face...a kiss...

"Seven?" B'Elanna carefully lifted a hand to the blonde's arm, waking her from her trance. Seven flinched from the touch, immediately causing the brunette to pull away and avert her gaze elsewhere. The former drone longed for touch but was afraid of it. Was she ready to take those steps towards becoming more human? What would B'Elanna think of her personal goals?

"Lieutenant Torres I-...I have a request." Raising her eyebrows with curiosity, B'Elanna leaned back against the console, looking up at the blonde. She motioned one arm forward, offering Seven the chance to continue.

"I would like to...experience your method of relieving tension." The half-Klingon had definitely not been expecting that to be Seven's request. She couldn't mask her surprise quick enough, the blonde noticed her widened eyes and quickly spoke again. "Perhaps another time-"

"Sure. I can show you." Seven stopped mid-sentence, her gaze meeting B'Elanna's. Blue orbs met brown and the two women just looked at each other. Swallowing nervously, Seven inclined her head forwards once.

"Very well. When would-"  
>"Why not now?" B'Elanna interrupted before Seven could continue. The blonde wasn't exactly famous for her spontaneity but the topic was relevant and the time seemed as fitting as it would ever be. Giving a second nod to the brunette, B'Elanna pushed off from the console, cracking her knuckles.<p>

"Great. You'll need to put something else on. It'll be too difficult to move around in that." The brunette motioned at Seven's catsuit before making sure her gaze quickly turned elsewhere. Turning and heading for the door, B'Elanna glanced over her shoulder at the surprised blonde who had yet to move. "Changed your mind?" She smirked slightly.

Shaking her head, Seven cleared her throat and quickly followed the brunette to the door.  
>"I have no intentions of backing out from my request." She spoke once more in her level tone and the half-Klingon couldn't help but grin. This was going to be interesting.<p>

Walking together down the various corridors of Voyager, they got a few surprised looks from crewmen who had heard the rumours that they always clashed; it was rare to see them together off duty. Thankfully most of the corridors were empty due to the time. As the two women reached the holodeck, B'Elanna started to type away at the panel.

"Altering the program, Lieutenant?" Seven asked curiously, frowning. She had after all wanted to experience the same feelings B'Elanna was so often indulging in.

"Don't worry...you're not missing out. I'm just making sure there's no unwanted surprises this time." She muttered under her breath, remembering the sensation of the Kazon's grip around her neck from earlier. Noting the use of 'this time' Seven tilted her head slowly, watching the brunette as she worked on the program's alterations.

"You were...damaged unexpectedly?" She asked, almost concerned. B'Elanna brushed off the comment quickly, not wanting to seem like she couldn't handle herself or her own program.

"There, all done." Unwrapping her jacket from around her waist, B'Elanna moved into the holodeck, thrusting an outfit into Seven's arms for her to change into. Usually she would have edited the program to automatically change the clothing on activation, but she figured maybe Seven might want to train on her own some day.

Keeping her gaze elsewhere while Seven changed, the hybrid woman flung her jacket to the side of the room, starting to rotate her shoulders, warming her body up. She heard the blonde clear her throat behind her, making it known she was ready to start.

"Computer, begin program Torres1." B'Elanna requested, watching as the holodeck transformed. The two women were standing in an underground pit, rocks shaping the walls, dust and sand under their feet. Stepping into the centre of the pit, B'Elanna turned and saw Seven hadn't moved but was instead unenthusiastically staring at the uneven walls, wondering how much it would hurt to be thrown against those rocks.

Seeing Seven looking so out of place caused B'Elanna to let out a small laugh before she could stop herself; the laugh caught Seven's attention as her face grew warmer from what could only be classed as embarrassment.

"Is something funny Lieutenant?" She demanded, ignoring the burning to her face as she moved over towards the brunette.

"What? No, no you just look...uncomfortable that's all." It was clear Seven's pride was wounded from her laugh and for reasons unknown B'Elanna felt a little guilty. Biting down on her lip and gnawing at it, the half-Klingon changed the subject. "Let's get started." Nodding once, the former drone turned her attention towards the two clear entrances either side of the pit, waiting for their targets to appear.

"Ah, ah, ah." B'Elanna took hold of the blonde's arm and turned her so they were facing each other. Seven frowned in confusion and rose her implant eyebrow, watching as B'Elanna gave her a slight smirk. "Since this is your first time I won't throw you into the fray without a little practice first."

"Then what do you propose?" Seven asked in a level tone but B'Elanna could tell she was eager to begin from the way she couldn't seem to stand still. It was strange to see the blonde this way; the brunette was so used to seeing her calm and collected.

"You need to warm your muscles up before getting into the fight. Usually I'd just dive right into it but we don't want you pulling something two seconds in do we?" Watching as the former drone rose her eyebrows at B'Elanna's comment, the half-Klingon let out an amused breath down her nose, shaking her head.

"I believe you are underestimating my capabilities Lieutenant Torres." Seven gave what could have been classed as a very small smile, which in turn earned a smirk from B'Elanna.

"Whatever you say, Miss. Efficient. Come on, just rotate your shoulders, loosen the tension, then you can aim some punches my way." The hybrid woman started to move her arms and her legs, lifting her knee one after the other, turning her wrists and her ankles, loosening out all of the tight aches within her body. Seven copied her, feeling her muscles wake up, glancing to B'Elanna every few seconds to see if she was doing it right.

Every time Seven looked at her, the brunette half-smiled, finding Seven to be oddly cute when she was acting like a student. Admittedly the chief engineer never thought she would see the day where Seven would happily take orders or direction from her, let alone ask to explore anything that was not directly work-related while in each other's company.

"You feel the difference?" The Klingon woman asked as she lifted her arm directly upward, moving it in a circular motion before swapping to her other arm. Still mimicking her, Seven could tell her body temperature was slightly increased and that she felt able to move her limbs more easily, especially in her change of clothes.

"My body temperature has risen. I believe I am ready to begin." Dropping her arms, B'Elanna tilted her head towards one shoulder and then the other, cracking her knuckles together and giving her wrists one last shake.

"Okay...if you think you're ready, punch me." The blonde's eyebrows rose in her usual fashion if she was unsure of something.

"Clarify." She demanded as B'Elanna gave her another half-smile.

"Don't act like you haven't wanted to hit me before Seven...this'll be the last time you ever get permission to do it, don't wanna miss your chance, do you?"

The blonde's eyes darted from B'Elanna's dark chocolate orbs to the rest of the pit and back to B'Elanna again. She appeared to be uncomfortable by the request, but knew that logically it made sense to practise with a friendly target first...an enemy would not go 'easy' on her.

Lifting her arm, Seven clumsily aimed her fist at the hybrid woman's shoulder. B'Elanna easily moved her own arm to parry the blow, knocking Seven's fist away with ease.

"Not bad but you're slow. I saw where that punch was headed way before it got there. Try again, faster."

With her mind racing, Seven rose her arm a second time, aiming a punch for the same spot on B'Elanna's shoulder but faster, as requested. Again, the brunette easily blocked the punch much to Seven's disappointment.

"A little better." B'Elanna frowned in thought, wondering how best to explain what Seven needed to do. "You're thinking too hard." The blonde met her gaze, tilting her head in confusion.

"I don't understand." Her tone was almost defeated, wondering if she would ever be able to feel physical sensations like everyone else. Maybe her body was just not cut out to do these things. She had finished growing as a Borg, she hadn't had the thrill of running around with other children on the playground, falling and grazing her knees, playing games and sports...was she always going to be an underdeveloped human? Had her time growing in the maturation chamber only given her the physical capabilities that were required for life as a drone?

"Hey. Look at me." B'Elanna's tone was firm as she saw the self-loathing behind Seven's eyes, the disappointment that she wasn't picking it up quickly. Seven was used to being able to adapt in mere minutes, she knew she was strong and capable and yet a simple task was becoming so frustratingly difficult. Reluctantly, the blonde lifted her gaze until her blue orbs met the half-Klingon's eyes. "It's okay. It's okay to not get it. That's part of..." The brunette's sentence trailed off as they gazed at each other.

"...being human." Seven finished the sentence for her female companion in a soft tone. For all their arguing, for all the times B'Elanna's temper had got the better of her...the former drone had never noticed how in certain aspects they were similar. They both felt alone...that they didn't belong. They were not fully Borg or fully Klingon but at the same time they weren't completely human either.

"Try again...this time stop thinking about the best logical place to hit me, or the precise speed of your movement. Just let your body think for you." Taking in a deep breath, Seven nodded, frowning in concentration. For a moment the two just stood standing opposite each other, B'Elanna poised ready to block the punch and Seven clenching and unclenching her fingers.

As quick as lightning, the blonde lashed forwards with her opposite arm this time, her fist colliding with the brunette's shoulder. Stumbling backwards from the force of the punch, B'Elanna let out an impressed laugh, rubbing her shoulder where Seven had just hit her.

"There! Damn Seven...have you done this before and you're just not telling me?" The engineer joked, pressing her hand to loosen her shoulder.

"I-I did not mean to damage you! Do you require medical assistance- allow me to-" The blonde started in a panic, stepping closer to the brunette.

"No, no it's okay, I'm okay, really. You're just...stronger than you look." Feeling accomplished, Seven dropped her arms to the side and smiled proudly. Within seconds, B'Elanna had lifted her fist and punched Seven on the arm causing her to jump back to life.

"I was not-" The blonde stammered, her eyes wide as she glanced at the grinning engineer in front of her.

"Ready? No, you let your guard down in front of your opponent. Not a good idea. Guess you're just gonna have to adapt."

B'Elanna slowly began to circle the blonde, still smirking to herself as she did so, keeping her eyes on Seven's face, occasionally glancing at her arms, waiting for her to attack. Seven could feel her heartbeat quicken inside her chest as the engineer began to stalk around her like a predator, the former drone began countering the action by moving her body in the opposite direction, both women ready to pounce at any second.

Seven lurched forwards, curling her arm in a circular thrust, aiming for the side of B'Elanna's jaw. The brunette knew exactly what to do; her body acted on instinct and experience, causing her to duck the minute she saw the blonde's arm headed her way. Seven retracted her arm, trying again with her opposite, aiming another blow to the half-klingon's face. B'Elanna raised her hand, knocking the punch away and parrying it with her own, her fist met with Seven's forearm. In the speed of the moment, Seven had moved her free arm to block B'Elanna's attack automatically.

"See? You're getting it." Grinning widely, the hybrid woman picked up the pace, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, moving as if she were the lightness of a feather around the blonde. Seven kept up with her, keeping her sky blue eyes on the fit engineer as she began to aim a variety of different punches her way. The blonde parried each hit, blocking them with her own fists, her arms, any part of her upper body she could use without B'Elanna's attacks actually causing any damage.

As her arms blocked each new attack that was directed at her, Seven could feel the heat of her muscles working hard, the tightness in her lungs where she desired quicker intake of breath, the pounding in her ears as her blood flowed freely around her body...and she began to understand why B'Elanna used this method of tension relief so often. It felt new and exciting...and she felt so alive.

"You are a-" Seven leaned backwards to dodge yet another firm punch B'Elanna sent her way. "-very effective teacher, Lieutenant." Letting out an amused 'ha' from Seven's compliment, the half-klingon found she was still grinning uncontrollably, enjoying the fight even if both women were holding back their true strength from each other.

"Well you're a quick learner-" Before she could finish her sentence, Seven spun her leg and kicked the engineer in the ribs, almost winding her. The minute B'Elanna felt the blonde's leg hit her body, she reached down and grabbed her calf, pulling her leg, forcing Seven closer.

Losing her balance, the blonde gasped and tried to pull her leg free, in the process she slipped on the sand beneath her feet and started to fall backwards. Noticing Seven was going over, B'Elanna let go of her leg, instead grabbing her arm to steady the blonde, stopping her from falling. Both women just stood panting, staring at each other, their arms gripped tightly together where they had saved Seven from colliding with the floor. There was a look in Seven's eyes that B'Elanna had never seen before...and the engineer couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly it was. Before she had time to contemplate, without even consciously being aware of it, B'Elanna had pulled Seven closer with their joined arms until the towering blonde was inches away from her own body.

"I believe..." The blonde's voice was uneven, riddled with adrenaline and excitement, her quickened breathing making it harder to speak. "I was the victor of that round."

"Oh really?" B'Elanna retorted, raising her eyebrows and smirking from the blonde's confident words, tugging on the blonde's arm again, pulling her so close it was a wonder either of them had room to breathe.

"You disagree with my conclusion?" Gazing down at the fierce brunette, Seven's eyes darted from B'Elanna's eyes to her half-open mouth where her warm breath was escaping. Following the former drone's eye line, the half-klingon could see her gaze settling on her own lips, feeling a sudden desperate urge to make them clash against Seven's. Before she could give in to her instinct, the two women were interrupted by the sound of a deep voice shouting out battle cries in Klingon.

The program had activated the next stage of the simulation without B'Elanna's permission. Loosening her grip on Seven's arm, the brunette quickly shoved her out of the way just in time as the huge Klingon charged towards the two. As B'Elanna pushed her, Seven fell to the side, managing to regain her balance, watching in surprise as the small engineer met with the male Klingon head on. There was no time to admire her courage or ponder on why B'Elanna's instinct had been to protect Seven and not herself; a second Klingon was already making his way over, letting out a beastly roar.

"Lieutenant?" Seven questioned loudly over the sound of the Klingon's snarling, lifting her fists in a protective stance. B'Elanna was struggling against her opponent's hold, finally shoving him backwards, giving her time to collect herself after the unexpected ambush.

"Now would be a great time to do that adapting we talked about!" She shouted back to the blonde as two more Klingons appeared at the pit entrance, smashing their fists together eagerly, her own enemy sending a heavy blow in B'Elanna's direction. Dodging the massive arm that came flying towards her, the hybrid woman thrust her arm in an upper cut, meeting the Klingon's chin at full force. From the impact of the punch, the Klingon bit down on his tongue and let out a snarl of pain his jaw cracking uncomfortably.

Seven was in the process of ducking and weaving between the various attacks the second Klingon aimed at her, noting instantly that he was slow. Her mind reminded her of earlier, how B'Elanna had told her she had 'seen where the punch was headed before it got there'. That memory urged the blonde to keep her gaze on the Klingon's arms, watching him lift them to swing at her. Each time she saw him move, her body seemed to know which way to dodge, which way to bend or twist without having to think about it. 'Let your body think for you' she heard the brunette's lesson in her mind again, embracing it in order to keep herself from damage.

When danger was ahead logic had to be put on hold...when safety was at risk, all that the blonde could do was react...and it felt strange. Seven lacked experience with acting on instinct and while she was keeping up with her opponent, she didn't know how much longer her body could continue without making a mistake.

The two new enemies made their way down to the middle of the pit, cracking their knuckles and slamming their chests like an animal showing a display of its power. B'Elanna kicked her enemy hard in the ribs, knocking him backwards once more, giving her time to dart over to the two new males before they could ambush and out number Seven.

The former drone started to retaliate against her opponent, sending such a strong punch to his shoulder that he stumbled and crashed into B'Elanna's opponent who was already caught off guard. Both males tried to regain their composure, but the engineer's focus remained on the newest Klingons as they both roared and charged at her, fists raised, teeth bared.

The small half-klingon blocked a heavy arm and countered with a knee to the ribcage. Before Seven had time to get close enough to assist, one of the Klingon's sent a powerful upper arm thrust in B'Elanna's direction, colliding with her jaw. Letting out a cry of agony, the brunette felt heat rush to the left side of her face as blood pooled in her mouth. Seven felt a flare of anger rise in the pit of her stomach from seeing the brunette's pain, rushing forward, sending various kicks and punches at the Klingon who had struck the engineer. He was stronger and more experienced in battle than Seven, easily blocking her attacks, letting out a deep laugh, showing his jagged teeth.

He knocked Seven over, causing the blonde to stumble and fall onto her back. She tried to wriggle backwards but the sand beneath her legs made it near impossible to move away from the massive male as he prepared to send a crashing kick down on the former drone.

"Don't touch her, petaQ!" B'Elanna snarled, pouncing towards the Klingon before he could hit Seven. As she tackled him, she lifted her arms and sent punch after punch to the man's face, feeling the sting of skin breaking where her knuckles met with flesh. The rage within her was so strong everything else around her went dark. Her animal instinct was so intense it was frightening her, but B'Elanna couldn't seem to stop.

"Computer, end program!" Seven called over the sound of the Klingon's agonizing roars. The entire pit vanished around them, all four enemies disappearing in an instantaneous shimmer. B'Elanna fell to her knees as the body that was previously beneath her vanished, panting heavily, blood dripping from her mouth. It took her minutes to come down from the high, to allow her rage to simmer; feeling a gentle hand against her shoulder, B'Elanna was brought back down to reality, lifting her gaze to meet Seven's eyes.

The former drone knelt down beside the injured engineer, taking B'Elanna's chin in her hand, tilting her face upward so she could inspect her jaw. B'Elanna tried to pull away, but Seven's grip on her face was firm but gentle all at once.

"Lieutenant please." Seven scolded as the half-klingon let out a low disapproving growl, trying to pull away again. Seven had seen her lose herself in her rage, something she wasn't proud of...but the blonde seemed more concerned for her well-being than she was about the engineer's enraged assault.

"You are damaged." The blonde very carefully ran her thumb over the purple bruise on the brunette's face.

"I'm fine." The hybrid woman managed to mumble between grit teeth, ignoring the unpleasant sting in her jaw as she spoke. Seven wasn't fooled, giving B'Elanna a look that said 'I'm not blind'. Dropping her hand from B'Elanna's face, Seven's attention turned towards the brunette's bloodied knuckles where she had repeatedly pounded the Klingon's face with her fists.

Her rage had erupted the moment Seven was in danger...had that been the trigger or had B'Elanna's Klingon genes merely kicked in after she was hit? The details were irrelevant when the blonde really thought about it...all that mattered were the engineer's injuries and fixing them.

"Please allow me to escort you to sick bay. The Doctor can have your injuries fixed within minutes." Opening her mouth to argue, Seven rose her eyebrows, giving B'Elanna an expression that suggested it was a good idea to comply. Nodding once, the brunette rose from the floor, making her way to her previously abandoned jacket as Seven also stood.

"I'm sorry." The silence was broken by Voyager's chief engineer saying something Seven rarely heard directed at her. Blinking in confusion, the blonde frowned, her blue orbs on the half-Klingon as she picked up her jacket. When she turned and met Seven's gaze, B'Elanna saw her confusion at the apology.

"Clarify." Seven's request caused the brunette to sigh and stare at the floor.

"I was trying to help you to...experience what it feels like to fight...that relief of tension after a victory. Instead I managed to put you in danger and lose my composure like a complete-"

"Lieutenant Torres." B'Elanna's tone had risen as she felt the anger in her stomach boil once more; she was furious at herself for what had happened. Clearly the holodeck was going to be the first task on her duty list that morning since that was the second time the program had not followed protocol. Seven's interruption silenced the hybrid woman as she caught her gaze.

"Thank you. You have taught me a great deal today and I am eager to learn more." The rage began to soften from Seven's words, causing B'Elanna to smile sincerely.  
>"Next time I think we'll try something a little less intense." Shaking her head and moving towards the door, Seven followed with her own small half-smile in place.<p>

"Or perhaps you may decide to indulge in a different method of tension relief." The former drone added. B'Elanna let out an amused breath down her nose, glancing at the taller woman.

"Just don't ask me to teach you anything about intimate relations." Seven felt heat rush to her face at the engineer's joke, clearing her throat as B'Elanna laughed, both women walking out of the holodeck, the doors sliding shut behind them.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I hope you liked this little one shot! I had a lot of fun writing it as I felt there wasn't many stories out there that hinted towards these two. I feel that underneath their initial dislike and headbutting there could be a mutual understanding between them because of their differences. Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave a review if you'd like to.<em>


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